Cars that project holograms of fake police officers and guard dogs

“Help me, Obi-Wan, you are my only hope” he possibly said. hologram most mythical of cinema, with a troubled Leia Organa calls for help. Well This same technology could be used Ford in their cars, with countless purposes and uses.

For example, to prevent theft, projecting a police officer or an aggressive guard dog. Also to replace the car’s multimedia screen or to mark guides that help us park.

From preventing your car from being stolen to ordering a hamburger

It is about the last registered patent by the oval brand, which likes to anticipate future technologies. Some more realistic than others: from cars of potential defaulters returning to the dealership on their own to integrating personalized ads into the multimedia system thanks to listening to the conversations of the passengers.

Published on August 24th with registration number 0288823this system would use a set of cameras, projectors and software to generate “mobile and interactive holograms” inside and outside the carThe images, previously loaded into the car, would have countless possible uses.

Perhaps the most striking are those focused on preventing theft. In this patent, Ford proposes the hologram of a real police officer that would project out of the car if it detects that someone is trying to force it open. It could work as a deterrent or even send an alert to the car owner if the thief touches or penetrates the virtual policeman.

I would do the same for example a guard dog: This could be projected to make anyone approaching believe that the car is being watched for possible robberies. Like the classic “beware of the dog” but in a science fiction style.

This is for the exterior, because for the interior they pose many other uses. For example, taking advantage of connected technology, of interaction with commercial establishments: that a restaurant menu is projected inside the car so that we can conveniently select our order at a drive-in. Or to check the movie listings and showtimes at a cinema.

Also for replace the multimedia screen or to make video calls more comfortably by projecting the image on the glass. Or to mark guides on the rear window to help us park the car, as the rear camera already does by painting the image on the display.

In short, the options for using these holograms are endless. This patent even includes a huge polar bear peeking out of the car window, whose purpose is not very clear. Perhaps it is also intended to deter potential attackers?

Will we see holograms in future Ford cars? Just because a brand registers a patent does not necessarily mean that it will become a reality. Companies do this to protect the intellectual property of future systems.

This is what Ford says. “The ideas described in a patent application should not be considered an indication of our business plans or products,” the oval brand said a Popular Science.

What’s more, this is not the first time that Ford has used holographic technology in a patent. In 2022, it did the same with a system to locate the car in the parking lot or on the street: using a hologram would allow us to find it quickly. And last year he registered an idea similar to that of the guard dog and the policeman: Project a passenger inside the car to deter potential thieves.

Beyond Ford, General Motors has also registered a patent based on a 3D projection system to show other vehicles, signs or traffic lights that are covered when driving behind a truck.